Would you really recommend it? Antecedents of word-of-mouth in medical tourism

Taheri, B., Chalmers, D. , Wilson, J. and Arshed, N. (2021) Would you really recommend it? Antecedents of word-of-mouth in medical tourism. Tourism Management, 83, 104209. (doi: 10.1016/j.tourman.2020.104209)

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Abstract

Medical tourism (MT) is a valuable component of many national service economies. Understanding the marketing and recruitment of MT patients is therefore an important consideration for MT providers. Research shows that word of mouth (WoM) remains the most important acquisition channel in this sector. Yet, there is only a limited understanding of antecedent factors behind a patient referral. We develop a framework for WoM, finding support for tourism factors, service quality and perceived value as key antecedents on WoM referrals. We further extend the MT literature by integrating a novel perspective on value creation that surfaces the experiences of frontline service providers for the first time. This paper incorporates two complementary studies, one with a focus on value creation, the other on perceived value. By combing the two in a mixed-methods approach, we emphasise the role of service delivery on WoM. Several implications can be drawn from the study's findings.

Item Type:Articles
Keywords:Medical Tourism, word of mouth, mixed methods, Iran.
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Chalmers, Professor Dominic
Authors: Taheri, B., Chalmers, D., Wilson, J., and Arshed, N.
Subjects:H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
College/School:College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Management
Journal Name:Tourism Management
Publisher:Elsevier
ISSN:0261-5177
ISSN (Online):1879-3193
Published Online:01 September 2020
Copyright Holders:Crown Copyright © 2020 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
First Published:First published in Tourism Management 83:104209
Publisher Policy:Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy

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